Monday, May 20, 2013

American Idol, The Voice, The X-Factor…
Did I miss a show? Oh yes, America’s Got
Talent; even though it’s open to all acts, not just singing, I guess it
falls under the same category. This blog post is dedicated to the judges of
such shows and the spiral of articles I’ve been reading this past week in
regards to these high-paid divas, artists, and producers.

I
wrote a blog post last week about Randy Jackson’s departure from Idol after 12 seasons, as well as the
high possibility that none of the remaining three judges will be asked to
return. Since then, it looks like it may be a fact indeed. Mariah Carey has
plans of touring, Nicki Minaj has been cast to star in Nick Cassavete’s new film (yes, you read correctly)
and will be working on her third album, and Keith, well he says he would like
to come back. Click here to read an article by Dave Holmes from Vulture in which he gives ten tips to
the producers to make Idol better next season.

On
the other hand, not long after Shakira confirmed she will not be returning for
season five of The Voice, a statement
was released that both Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green (original judges for
the first three seasons) will be back for the fall season; however, here’s the
catch. Shakira (and Usher) will return for season six next spring!

Last
but not least, here’s the main reason why I decided to write this blog post.
Once again while religiously scrolling down the top news on IMDb this morning,
I ran across an article that gave me hope in The X-Factor once more. It turns out Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato
will be joined by two beautiful ladies; the first time a judging panel consists
predominantly of females. The ladies are Kelly Rowland, founding member of
Destiny’s Child, and Mexican pop star Paulina Rubio.

The tactic is interesting because all four judges stand in a
different decade in terms of birth year and have judging experience. Demi
Lovato (20) is a pop singer and judged last year’s season two. Kelly Rowland
(32) is in the R&B genre and judged season eight of The X-Factor UK. Paulina Rubio (41) is an icon in Mexican pop music
and is an original member of legendary band Timbiriche; she judged Mexico’s
version of The Voice and is currently
judging a kid’s version as well. And Simon Cowell (53), I need not to mention
what he has under his belt.

These news about "Simon's Angels" are way more exciting than finding out last year that Britney Spears would
judge season two. My parents and I grew up listening to the music of Timbiriche
and I was somewhat of a fan of Paulina during her solo career. It’s also interesting
to see that the show will have three Hispanic personalities (Demi and Paulina,
as well as returning host Mario Lopez).

What
are your thoughts on these tactics by both The Voice and The X-Factor? Feel
free to share and comment below.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Hello
everyone, smile, it’s Friday! I should be happy right? I have the weekend to
vent off a little. There’s another charity event for Banned4Life at Drip Orlando tomorrow and I’ll finally be getting a
chance to catch The Great Gatsby.
However, my smile dropped for a second as I was scrolling through the Top News
on IMDb earlier today. News are that a sequel to Ang Lee’s masterpiece Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonis in the
works.

I’m
not really sure how to feel about it (Yes, I’m in a mood for quoting songs
today). There are pieces of art that one just doesn’t and shouldn’t touch. I
remember almost thirteen years ago, sitting at a Cinemark movie theater in
Juarez, Mexico with my dad and being blown away by this cinematic work of art.
The beauty of the landscapes, the choreography of the martial arts, and the
story truly impacted me; it doesn’t matter if I was eight years old, that film
really hit me. My dad and I liked it so much we even had dinner at “The Bamboo
Palace.”

From
a fan’s point of view, I’m not excited because Ang Lee isn’t attached to the
project and from the original cast, only Michelle Yeoh is confirmed to return.
On the other side, from a producer’s perspective, it makes total sense with the
dramatic rise of cinema in Asia, especially China, both by filmmakers and fans. Also, The Weinstein Company is involved, so chances of a screw-up are less.

Remember the Transformers
blogpost I wrote a few weeks ago? If you didn’t catch it, click HERE to read it
and understand more in depth what’s happening overseas. (There’s another
relevant article that contains numbers. If you’re a producer or distribution
rep, you may want to click HERE).

I’ll
keep you guys updated as more new regarding this sequel come to light. In the
mean time, feel free to share with me your thoughts and why you are in favor or
not. Have a great weekend!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

I
meant to write this blog post two weeks ago when I landed home from a getaway
to beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico, but I finally found some time to share with
you what a unique experience it was.

I
know some you might be asking, “Ricardo, isn’t this a blog about film and
television production?” Indeed I shall say. However, the reason I’m writing
about my trip is because “taking some time to smell the roses” and getting away
from your day-to-day routine refreshes one’s creativity. It doesn’t matter what
department you work in, whether you are a director, a DP, or a sound mixer, it
is important to visit new places. Places that will let you see things from a different perspective and will offer your ears new kinds of sounds. I hope you get what I’m
trying to say. I could go on and on for paragraphs but don’t want to get too cliché;
plus, people rarely have the patience to read stuff on the Internet nowadays.

Anyway,
some of the people my travel buddy and I came across, the landscapes we
experienced, or the food our palettes had the pleasure of tasting sparked ideas
for some good storytelling. Thanks to the architecture of places in historic
Old San Juan, such as the San Felipe Castle or Mother Nature’s wonders in
places such as El Yunque National Rainforest, gave us inspiration to capture
some cool photographs. (Another reason I took a while to post this was because
I had to go through the hundreds of pictures I took and select a few to share
with you. I’m glad I took time with it).

There
is a good quote by Tim Kreider I read almost a year ago on post he wrote for The New York Times titled The 'Busy' Trap. It goes like
this: "Idleness is not just
a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as
vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as
disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a
necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making
unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of
inspiration — it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done."

So
now I would like to hear from you. Is there a place you have been to that has
inspired you to write an awesome script, offered a different perspective in the
way you shoot, or vented you for your next production management gig? Feel free
to share and comment below.

All pictures were taken with a Nikon D3100. You may view them on my Facebook page by clicking here.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Last
night I attended a charity event for Banned4Life,
a non-profit organization that recently launched in Orlando, Florida. The
organization was started by Blake Lynch and his partner after he was denied to
donate blood simply because he is gay.

“Earlier this year I went to donate
blood in honor of my friend Emmy. She
has sickle cell anemia and relies on blood donations to relieve her pain,”
Blake says. Since coming up with the idea, the non-profit has grown
dramatically and has gained national attention. It's been featured on Fox News, The
Washington Times, Advocate, among others.

“To increase
awareness of the policy we are going to be hosting blood drives around the
nation where individuals can go to donate blood in place of those who are Banned4Life. It’s time to come together
as a society so we can help save lives and end this outdated policy,” says
Blake.

So
how did I hear about this non-profit? Famor Botero (Take Me Home) is a
filmmaker I worked with on a music video last year and an alumnus from my alma mater; he
invited me to attend the charity event. After learning about the importance of
raising awareness of this issue, I decided to take pictures at the event and write a blog post about it. Also, Botero will be directing a documentary about the foundation of Banned4Life and he will be following
their progress and growth around the nation.

The
reception turned out great. It took place at the Donnelly Gallery in Downtown
Orlando. I met some amazing people with interesting stories, the night had a
lounge feel thanks to the music provided by DJ Steve Fame, and the non-profit
obtained some generous donations.

The
next event will be held on Saturday the 18th at Drip Orlando. Check out some pictures from last night's event. For more pictures, feel free to visit my Facebook page.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

American Idol is undergoing a major
facelift for its 13th season. An article from The Wrap describes the changes as “nuclear,” yet a different source
I found at Vulture states it is
nothing but a rumor. Regardless if it’s true or not, I see these changes as Idol’s ultimatum, which will determine
if it can redeem itself or if its expiration date is reached.

If
you know me personally or have had conversations with me about the
entertainment industry, you know I strongly think that Idol got cancer when Simon Cowell left, and it worsened when the
panel of judges kept changing constantly. This inconsistency is what may have
caused audiences to stop watching the show. Also, a cooler guy named The Voice joined the soccer team, leaving
Idol with fewer friends.

The
original panel of judges consisted of Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon
Cowell, lasting for nine seasons. Kara DioGuardi’s presence in season eight and
nine proved to be good. However, I believe the cancer began when Ellen
DeGeneres (yes, Ellen) joined season nine. Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez
joined Randy Jackson for seasons ten and eleven, and it changed again for this
year’s season with the addition of Keith Urban, Nicki Minaj, and Mariah Carey.

So
what is all the nuclear talk about? As I’m writing this blog, Randy Jackson has
just announced his departure. "I am very proud of how we
forever changed television and the music industry. It's been a life changing
opportunity but I am looking forward to focusing on my company Dream Merchant
21 and other business ventures,” he told E! News. Also, a source close to Fox
has stated that the company plans to completely change the judging panel. They
want to invest less money in the judges and focus more on the talent. Mariah
Carey received $18 million this season, the highest salary for a judge on Idol history. (Jennifer Lopez received
$15 million and Nicki Minaj $12 million).

Fox
has a lot of work to do in regards to rebuilding their brand, getting back
their target audience, and thinking carefully about how to change the show
without completely getting rid of its roots. The source close to Fox also
stated that longtime executive producer Nigel Lythgoe will be let go.

Ratings
declined 22 percent this season and hit an all-time low last Thursday with
only 11 million viewers compared to 30 million viewers on episodes from season
six. The cancer hasn’t killed Idol yet.
It is a powerhouse for Fox, which brings $836.4 million in ad revenue. As I
mentioned above, the show lost its authenticity when Simon Cowell left and a
rapidly swap of current or very well known stars happened in the judging panel.
Competition, mainly from The Voice,
might be another factor, but I don’t think that’s the biggest reason. This
season dragged and didn’t flow organically. I was expecting a lot from Mariah
Carey; even though her critiques improved from the audition process all the way
to the Top 12, she failed to meet my expectations. Keith and Nicki were good
judges in the way they got their message across and evaluated the singers
technically (although I will say Nicki gave too much importance to outfits).
Randy, well, “he’s not in it to win it.”

The
finale for Season 12 is next week. What are your thoughts on this season and
the show through time? Feel free to comment below and share this blog post.

Subscribe To

About Me

Ricardo Ramos resides in Los Angeles and works as a Story Producer in non-scripted television. He graduated with a bachelors of science in Film and a masters of science in Entertainment Business from Full Sail University and is an active member of the Producers Guild of America.
Since relocating to La La Land in 2013, Ricardo's latest TV credits include “The Riveras” for NBC Universo, “MasterChef” season eight for FOX, "Holy Foley" for WWE, "Teenage Newlyweds" and "Married At First Sight: The First Year" for FYI, among others.
Besides working in TV, Ricardo has also created original content that includes a documentary titled “Vicissitude” about the drug-related violence in his hometown of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and an instructional video for a start-up app called LightsApp. In his time off, Ricardo runs at the Hollywood Bowl with November Project, plays tennis, volunteers with GLAAD, or is having an IPA at Arclight Theatre.